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5 Real-Life Lessons About the Call Center

Are you the Yoda of your friends and family, full of realism and words of advice? You may not realize it, but if you’ve ever worked in a customer facing position, you’ve likely learned some hard lessons about life. The call center can truly open your eyes to human behaviour and the psychology behind it. By interacting with people constantly, it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually get hit smack dab in the face by some real-life wisdom during your time at work. It might take years, even decades, to cultivate the knowledge and humility call center agents learn in a fairly short period of time.

Here are 5 real-life lessons often learned as a call center agent:

1. Sometimes ‘Sorry’ Is the Hardest Word

Sometimes, no matter how easy it sounds, everything is preventing you from saying this 5-letter word. Usually people expect you to apologize, even if you feel like you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s extremely hard to put your pride aside and muster up the energy to say sorry. But this is integral to the maintenance of relationships. Whether it’s a customer, friend, or even your spouse, we all have to say sorry sometimes, even if we really don’t want to.

2. You Will Get Rejected, A Lot

You’re not perfect (no one is) and you’re going to be told “No” or “You’re Wrong” or “You’re not good enough” hundreds, if not thousands of times in your life. Whether it’s your manager or a customer telling you that you are not adequate enough, it’s a good way to shed your ego, dust yourself off and try again. Perseverance and not getting easily defeated, is truly the key to success and happiness.

3. It’s Not Personal

In life you will meet a lot of people who treat you poorly and take you for granted. In most cases it’s not your fault, that’s just how they view you. Society is full of generalizations, and everyone has a different worldview. You can’t let the negative stuff affect who you are, and what you bring to the table. When you feel disrespected, don’t let it deflate your spirit. Always keep your head high and be the bigger person, it’s better for your mental health in the long run.

4. If Your Want Something, Ask for It (And Work for It)

Nothing in life is free, not even love, or family. If you want something, first you must put yourself in a position where others know it’s what you want, and then, you must prove that you are worth investing in. Another important part of this is understanding that some people do have it easier than you, whether it’s by privilege or grace. Don’t get hung up on how easy it is for others to get ahead, there’s more satisfaction in earning something, then getting things handed to you.

5. No One Knows Everything

No matter where you go in life there will always be individuals who know more than you, and others who know less. Never let your experience and knowledge place you above others. Everyone has their own talents and skills, it’s important to be constantly learning, and never get caught up in an elitist frame of mind. You are doing yourself a disservice by behaving this way. Conversely, it’s important to challenge authority in a diplomatic way when things feel uncertain. We’re all making the same climb, just at different times.